Doctor doctor I feel like watching Operation Ouch you can watch them now on the free BBC iPlayer
app! Here's a 3D model of the human brain wow look at that well Chris talk us through it this
is the temporal lobe right so that's on the side of your brain so it's sort of sitting along here
deep within that you'll find the hippocampus there it is in red you'll notice it's unusual shape
which gives it its name because hippocampus is the Latin word for just stress I feel a quiz coming on
does the word hippocampus mean A a seahorse B a snake or C a campsite for hippos remember the
name relates to its shape what do you think Chris a seahorse wrong I'm afraid the answer is a it's
shaped a little bit like a seahorse honestly a campsite for hippos is a ridiculous suggestion
and now you know what seahorse is in Latin now this is what your hippocampus will look like this
is a 3D printed model and by the time you're fully grown it could be up to five centimeters long but
how does it work well we're gonna show you come on to the cupboard of everything now this is a
brand new maze Chris and I have never seen it before and Mini Xand has designed it to put our
hippocampuses to the test how many minutes on yes and Mini Xand you can watch from there we
have to get to the middle of the maze as quickly as possible which is apparently by the library
yes tell my family I love them I may be some time I love a maze we're both gonna have a go whenever
you go somewhere new your hippocampus puts a physical map together in your mind and it does
this with the help of two incredible specialised neurons first the grid cells as we explore the
maze a physical grid in our hippocampus starts to form out of these cells this is really good
so there are some landmarks there's a stool there's a hospital here so swimming pool shop
it's a dead end Mini Xand has added landmarks along the maze route to help the second type
of cells in our hippocampuses the place sells whenever you move about a new area your place
cells learn where specific places are and they add them to the grid dead end that's really annoying
think I've got to go this way I think I'm getting near the middle okay I'm
at the library I'm in the middle zone gotta be and here I found it.
Here's an operation you must perform head to wherever you download your apps download the free
BBC iPlayer app now and watch brand new Operation Ouch now! We've had one go at making our way to
the middle is going to test our mind maps to the max it's the ultimate hippocampus maze challenge
we will be racing against the clock and we must use our mind maps of the maze to get to the middle
but there's a twist Xand doesn't know that Mini Xand has removed all the landmarks from his maze
this will really put Xand's hippocampus to the test are you ready doctors yes three two one
race right I remember it was this way there's the school it's left at the school there's no
way you're gonna beat me Chris that all looks the same sound you'll need to rely on just your grid
cells to remember your way around but you won't beat me I'm nearly finished there's the library
my grid and place sells easily directed me to the middle how are you getting on sound okay I might
not have the landmarks but my hippocampus still has a rough plan of the maze it created with my
grid cells I know that I want to get that way okay come on yes whoa even without the landmarks I've
managed to do it thanks to the amazing grid cells in my hippocampus I've done it it's over I finally
did it finally signed but without any place else it takes a lot longer so we've shown you that all
vertebrates animals with a spine have a seahorse shaped part of your brain called the hippocampus
and part of its job is to process information to help your spatial awareness and but thanks
to your grid sales and your place sales you can create a memory map in your hippocampus that you
can use to remember how to get somewhere and how to find things so boo said you're going to have
another crack at the maze and she's taught you how to use whiskers all right well off you go then.
I think I've got a fever BBC iPlayer app fever I've just downloaded it
for free to watch brand new operation out whenever I want and you should do it too!